Brookfield Zoo introduces African pups

Ten African wild dogs born to the same mother in November at Brookfield Zoo get a medical checkup.

Victoria Pierce

Ten African wild dogs born to the same mother in November at Brookfield Zoo didn’t seem as wild as their name suggests as they were getting 12-week exams and vaccinations in assembly line fashion on Thursday.

Some were shaking and scared. Others simply tucked their tails between their legs and flattened their ears as the staff measured and weighed them, looked over their teeth and paws and gave them their distemper shots.

But in four weeks when they have their next exam they likely will be a bit more of a handful, zoo veterinarian Mike Adkesson said.

“They are wild animals. They certainly will make that clear as they get older,” he said.

Early this spring, once temperatures are in the 40s and 50s, the public will have their first chance to see the 10 new African wild dog puppies born the day after Thanksgiving Day at Brookfield Zoo. On Thursday they had their 12-week exams with vaccinations in assembly line fashion with two veterinarians and about a dozen staff helping out.

At such a young age they didn’t seem as wild as their name suggests. Some were shaking and scared. Others simply tucked their tails between their legs and flattened their ears as the staff measured and weighed them, looked over their teeth and paws and gave them their distemper shots.

In four weeks when they have their next exam they will likely be a bit more of a handful, said veterinarian Mike Adkesson said.

“They are wild animals. They certainly will make that clear as they get older,” he said.

African wild dogs are becoming endangered as humans encroach their grassland habitats in Africa. According to the African Wild Dog Conservancy the uniquely marked canids with their distinct white-tipped tails, colorful patchy coats and large bat-like ears used to roam the grasslands in 39 African countries. They are now found in 15 countries and their numbers have dwindled to 3,000 to 5,500 in the wild.

“They are extremely intelligent animals,” Adkesson said.

They travel in packs of up to 30 dogs and are very social animals and adept hunters. But as habitats diminish for many of Africa’s wild animals, the African wild dog often loses out to larger animals such as lions, which hunt for the same foods. At the zoo they are being fed a raw meat diet and bones, similar to what they would eat out on the plains of Africa.

The social structure of the family is also similar to what would be found in the wild, with the puppies bonding closely with their mother while being looked after by their father and uncle.

Early this spring, once temperatures are consistently in the 40s and 50s, the public will have their first chance to see the puppies.

When they are about a year old they will be heading to other zoos to assure genetic diversity of other packs around the country.

In the wild, they also split up, with the females usually the first to head out on their own, the vets said. But until the day the pups head out into the world, they will be enjoying each other’s company at Brookfield Zoo.